Fishermen often carry a number of tools with them when they fish. For instance, a fisherman may carry a tackle box or a vest carrying a wide variety of flies, hooks, and other devices to be attached to a line. The fisherman might have a small guidebook describing the creek, lake, or other water which he is fishing, or the type of lure and line to be used for a fish feeding in a certain location. The fisherman will likely also carry a variety of lines with him, because he may use numerous lines of varying weights while fishing. In sum, the fisherman carries a great deal of gear. The fisherman often keeps all his gear together so that none of it is forgotten or lost, but keeping and storing it together reduces its portability and is cumbersome.
In addition to all his other gear, the fisherman typically also carries at least one knife. A knife is useful in a wide variety of expected and unexpected ways. Frequently, though, a knife is used to cut line, perhaps because the line is tangled, or about to be tied to a leader or tippet, needs to be freed of a hook, or for other reasons. The fisherman is thus frequently pulling his knife out, unsheathing or flipping the blade open, cutting the line, and stowing the blade safely. When the fisherman uses his knife frequently, despite the best of intentions, he can grow cavalier with the knife and it can pose a severe danger to himself and others. Further, if the fisherman needs the immediate ability to cut the line without hesitation, he may not have time to reach to his knife and open or unsheathe it. Still further, if the fisherman forgets his knife, he has to resort to especially crude methods for cutting the line, such as using his teeth or a rock, if cutting the line is at all possible. An improved device for cutting fishing line is needed which can be carried with a fisherman and not forgotten.